How to Make a Great Impression in the First Five Seconds

On average you have a total of five seconds to make a good impression when you meet individuals. Consider how quickly that five seconds goes by especially when you’re talking to a new prospect, on an interview, or meeting your date for the first time!

Talk about pressure!

Would having a deeper insight into how people tick help you to cultivate that relationship even in the first five seconds?

You bet it would!

You might even be surprised to learn that spotting how a person wants to receive their information is a teachable skill. I teach it to my clients.

When you discover how others want to receive their information, which comes from your natural wiring, watch how quickly you can develop rapport with someone. When I spoke at Authentic Leadership Day, I placed everyone in groups according to their natural wiring.

Once the exercise was complete, I asked everyone in attendance to notice two things when each group was reporting out their results. I asked them to notice what the group said and how they said it.

When you notice what people talk about from these two filters, you will begin to have some insights on how that person wants to receive their information. When you deliver information the way the other person wants to receive it, you’re not only honoring the other person but you will be more effective in your communication and relationship building.

As many of the attendees discovered during the exercise, your wiring is always present and becomes amplified when under stress. For some people, meeting new people can be stressful so your natural wiring will become amplified.

For example, with people who are naturally wired to create and act on their own ideas, they extend their hand confidentially and with a first handshake will often use both their first and last name when introducing themselves.

On one occasion, one of my clients who is similarly wired in this way, fired off a series of questions to someone who liked their information more methodically. Before she could answer his first question, he fired off another question. This rapid fire sequence was frustrating to the more methodical communicator.

In this case, it’s important for him to notice the frustration on her face and slow down the conversation. If not, she might just shut down all together or simply erupt in frustration. In just this first five seconds, she would have already decided she wasn’t going to do business with him.

There is always a fine balance with this, too. You’re at your best when you work within your own wiring. At times, however, your natural wiring needs to be managed to be more effective.